Best (and worst) of the fest

A look at the winners and washouts of the 10th Boulder Asian Film Festival

By Monica Ly, staff writer

Aug. 28, 2007

Cultural Festival | Film Festival | Winners and Washouts | Photo Gallery

Winners

Courtesy www.thegoldenvoicemovie.com Director Greg Cahill's short, "The Golden Voice," is one of the 10th Boulder Asian Film Festival's winners.

Chinese Dumplings – Delicious. Two little girls were punished by their mother when they attempted to pull off a violin-practicing sham.

Fortune Hunters – One mishap at the family-owned fortune cookie factory scatters Arthur’s love messages to his ex-girlfriend in fortune cookies. A worthy performance by Kelvin Hu.

Cats of Mirikatani – Who can resist the crazy antics and good intentions of a grandfather? Eighty-year-old Jimmy Mirikatani, once in an internment camp during WWII, is homeless and calls himself a “grand master artist.” Taken in by a local filmmaker, they slowly unravel his past.

Equal Opportunity – Riddled with comedic, rude language, this award-winning short film is catchy and pleasant to watch.

Ghost Soldier – Although it would have been more satisfying had the movie expanded beyond the intensity taking place in a war prison, this was visually appealing and the plot was intriguing.

7500 Miles to Redemption – This contains proof that even prisoners have hearts and their long-distance efforts to build a school in less privileged country leave them beaming with pride.

Solidarity – This was almost too silly, but enough to warrant a laugh.

Mystic Ball – Greg Hamilton discovers a foot-juggling sport popular in Myanmar. Not only was it entertaining to watch Hamilton on his journey to discover Chinlone, but was inspirational as well.

The Story of Spirits – Filmmaker Tien Nguyen documents her search for the truth of what happened to her mother after the fall of Saigon. The movie captures the audience's attention as she pieces together stories from her relatives.

Washouts

Cherry Bloom – Creepy little girl.

Mu – The plot was confusing by taking place more than one dimensional life in this story. Reading the written synopsis is easier.

Little Black Dress (& Heels) – Creepy old man.

Macau Twilight – This psychological thrill ride sputtered out and died. Asian women are portrayed as conniving and unfaithful.

A Short Tale of Xuan – Little objects may matter to some animals and people, but for people who have no idea where the little objects come from, it becomes a bore.

Pieces of a Memory – Love story? Was this a love story? There was too much of an effort to create an “artsy” piece.

Joe Nguyen and Alvina Yeh contributed to this article.